Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 167 The Battle of Liaodong: Breaking Through the City and Setting Sail (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
February of the 20th year of Zhenguan.

—The army set off, and the world was shaken.

After many years, the Tang Dynasty launched another large-scale war, which was not only a major event within the Tang Dynasty, but also extremely important to the entire world.

Which of the surrounding vassal states wouldn't want to know the strength of the Tang Dynasty?

This battle is the best proof!

The whole world was in motion.

The significance of this expedition to Goguryeo has long since transcended the simple task of suppressing a rebellion.

Under the influence of Li Shimin's proclamation, Yeon Gaesomun's various actions had long deviated from the culture of Kyushu, making him an object of everyone's wrath.

We must especially avenge our defeat!
Culture has a significant impact on a person.

In this modern era, when the culture of Kyushu is highly revered, Yang Guang's two disastrous expeditions have become a disgrace to the entire Kyushu.

This battle is to avenge our shame and punish evil!

Even Li Shimin had not anticipated that the significance and impact of this battle would be so profound.

With the continuous emergence of masterpieces, the cultural atmosphere of Kyushu has become increasingly prosperous, and its development speed has far exceeded that of the past.

If we can win this battle, the speed will be even faster!
—The world is watching with bated breath!
Gu Yi was paying close attention to Gu Jing, although in his opinion, there would be absolutely no surprises during this landing.

But he also had some inexplicable worries.

This is a major event concerning the development of the entire Kyushu and the upper limit of the Gu family.

How could he not care?
The Gu family's path will definitely not be limited to the Nine Provinces, but to the entire world, which is also very important.

As for the internal affairs of the Tang Dynasty court, Gu Yi didn't care much.

In fact, he himself is still unsure how the relationship between Li Shimin and his son Li Chengqian will develop.

The relationship between this father and son is very special, even different from that between emperors and crown princes throughout history.

Li Chengqian has indeed changed.

It was not as decadent as it was in the original history; on the contrary, it resembled Li Shimin very much.

His methods were not bad, and although his civil and military achievements could not compare to Li Shimin, he was still capable of being a ruler of a country.

However, Gu Yi could clearly sense that Li Chengqian's personality was somewhat extreme, which was an effect of his foot ailment.

It's just that I've been restraining myself all along.

His foot ailment was not only a thorn in Li Shimin's side, but also his own.

For someone of his stature, this foot ailment is an insurmountable obstacle; no one can change his own mind.
Donglai.

Its location is in present-day Laizhou City, Yantai, Shandong Province, bordering the Bohai Sea to the north, making its position extremely crucial.

This place is close to the Liaodong Peninsula and Japan. If the Tang Dynasty wanted to develop the Maritime Silk Road, this place and Lingnan were both key locations that could not be bypassed.

Legend has it that Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng and Han Wudi Liu Che once visited Donglai in search of the elixir of immortality, which is why there are so many legends about this place.

Li Shimin had made many preparations for this battle.

—A full five hundred warships!

Nearly 300,000 dan of grain and fodder were delivered.

With so much preparation required, the navy is actually under the most pressure during this expedition.

Not to mention getting everyone to overcome their fear of the sea.

Even if they manage to land successfully, these people will be completely isolated and will only succeed if they fight their way through to rendezvous with the central army.

No accidents can be allowed to happen.

Gu Jing's position in the army was deputy commander.

The fact that he was able to obtain this position so soon after joining the army clearly demonstrates how highly Li Shimin regarded him.

Given his surname and status as Gu Quan's eldest son, the soldiers naturally didn't say much, though they looked down on him a bit.

This kind of disdain is also very simple.

I just felt that a kid like Gu Jing was not capable of commanding any major battles.

In front of the port.

Looking at the giant ships drifting on the sea, Gu Jing's expression was extremely serious.

How could he be completely unafraid?

Gu Jing was already considered lucky. Faced with the boundless sea, many soldiers stood on the shore, not daring to board the ship, not even for the simple task of carrying provisions.

At that moment, the drums for the council began to sound.

Gu Jing quickly snapped out of his daze and headed towards the main camp.

The decision to send out tens of thousands of people cannot be made quickly in a short period of time, especially since this expedition involves landing from the sea, which requires time to gather information from experienced fishmongers in the vicinity.

Upon entering the main tent, Gu Jing immediately cupped his hands in greeting to the commander-in-chief, Zhang Liang.

"Meet the General!"

Zhang Liang nodded, and looking at Gu Jing's expression, he couldn't help but smile and said, "As expected of the General's eldest son, I also fought alongside the General back in the day."

He was somewhat moved, realizing that Gu Jing was indeed very similar to Gu Quan.

Both in appearance and personality.

One by one, the generals arrived, and Zhang Liang's expression quickly turned serious. Once everyone had arrived, he waved his hand and had someone bring over the fishmongers from the nearby area.

"Gentlemen, I will not elaborate on the hardships of this journey."

"His Majesty has repeatedly instructed us to be prepared for everything!"

"These are fishermen from the neighborhood; let's hear their experience."

As he spoke, Zhang Liang directly asked about the fish farmers.

These fishermen make their living from the sea and are very experienced in coastal matters. Although they are a little nervous, they speak eloquently and knowledgeably.

"General, you must choose an auspicious day before setting sail."

"Otherwise, the waves at sea can be deadly."

"."

The fishermen chatted amongst themselves, becoming more and more at ease as they spoke.

It's not just about the nearshore areas.

Even those from the far seas are included. These people are either friends or elders in the family. Someone is always blown into the deep sea by accident. The Liaodong Peninsula is no stranger to them.

In their words—

The best time to travel to the Liaodong Peninsula is in April, because the southeast winds blow then, and you can reach Liaodong directly in just five days by following the wind direction.

There were even two islands along the way where we could rest and recuperate.

The soldiers listened very attentively, referring to the nautical charts while following the fishermen's instructions.

There are, of course, discrepancies.

Nautical charts of that era could not possibly be completely accurate.

It wasn't until evening, after everything was confirmed, that Zhang Liang let the fishermen leave and began discussing tactics.

There weren't really any tactics involved.

This is a surprise attack, and it requires the cooperation of the central army. Once we successfully land, we can charge and fight.

But everyone remained very cautious, as no one knew what would happen after they set sail.

Although none of it was outwardly apparent.

But everyone knew that even Zhang Liang was filled with apprehension about this trip.

Youzhou.

Unlike the navy, the army marches much faster.

This is also a tactic. The army needs to draw all firepower, and while conquering cities and breaking through the Liaodong defense line, it also needs to create opportunities for the entire navy.

Although he was personally leading the expedition, Li Shimin was, after all, the emperor, and he would not be as willful as he always charged ahead in battle.

He was merely overseeing the overall situation.

The task of directly attacking the city was entrusted to Li Ji, the Duke of Ying.

Goguryeo had already taken precautions. Although Yeon Gaesomun was very confident, he was not stupid. How could he be completely sure that the Tang Dynasty would not take action?

He has already laid out defenses throughout Liaodong, and his tactics are still the same as those used by King Go Won of Goguryeo in the past.

—Strengthen defenses and scorched earth, and hold fast to the fortresses!

The Tang Dynasty was indeed very strong, but he absolutely did not believe that the Tang Dynasty could withstand such a huge drain on its resources and keep fighting him.

This is indeed a very good tactic; the fortresses built by Goguryeo against the mountains are extremely difficult to attack.

However, he ultimately underestimated Li Shimin, regarding him as an emperor like Yang Guang.

He had already dispatched a rapid marching force to take the lead.

They didn't give them any specific goals, but simply let Li Ji decide for himself, without any need to worry.

This is what makes Li Shimin different.

He was well aware that a commander should consider the big picture, not the details of each general. Easily interfering and forcibly setting goals would only affect the soldiers' judgment of the situation.

All he needed to do was tell his soldiers the objective.

And this time the goal—

This would break through Goguryeo's defenses in Liaodong, allowing the army to penetrate deep into Liaodong.

Although these differences may seem minor, they are extremely crucial for a real battle.

Li Ji was no ordinary man. After joining the Li Tang dynasty, he experienced countless major battles.

Such generals also have a very accurate judgment of the situation.

At the end of February, the great battle officially began.

Goguryeo's defenses were extremely tight.

They not only utilized the Liao River as a natural defensive line, but also built mountain fortresses along various key routes, which contained stored grain and water, making them virtually foolproof.

If it's a direct attack—

Leaving aside the enormous casualties and supply issues involved, the real challenge is time; winter in Liaodong is not easy to endure.

This is a problem that the Tang army must face.

Li Ji's countermeasure was also very ingenious. He led his army to secretly cross the Liao River, and then launched a large-scale feigned attack on Huaiyuan Town, a key town in their defense line, which attracted attention from all sides.

But in reality, the main force was heading straight for Xuantu City!

He did not directly attack Liaodong City, where Goguryeo had stationed a large garrison.

It cannot be easily conquered.

Li Ji also employed a rapid infiltration tactic to disrupt the enemy's vision.

The situation in Liaodong suddenly became unpredictable.

In Goguryeo's defensive tactics, rapid infiltration could severely affect the enemy's judgment, creating the illusion that Tang troops were everywhere among the enemy's defenders.

A fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

In fact, Xuantu City was a vital transportation route to the heart of Goguryeo. Although it was not as important as Liaodong City, it was still a key city in the Goguryeo defense line that protected the Liaodong region.

This is the only option for the Tang army!

In any case, Li Ji had to create an opening so that his army could successfully penetrate deep into Liaodong, instead of conquering cities and fortresses step by step!
As long as the army can successfully penetrate deep into Liaodong, capturing Liaodong City will not be difficult!

Shouts of battle rose from all sides.

This tactic of the Tang army was completely beyond Goguryeo's expectations.

Even now, many details of this grand flanking maneuver are still beyond the full comprehension of countries with shallow cultural foundations.

They never imagined that Li Ji would take such a risk.

Caught completely off guard, the entire Xuantu City was swiftly breached by Li Ji.

—The whole world was alarmed!
Yeon Gaesomun was furious when he received the news.

He certainly wouldn't choose to abandon Xuantu City.

The Liaodong defense line was his best means of dealing with the Tang Dynasty, and he could not possibly give it up.

As for directly competing with the Tang Dynasty in terms of national strength?

Yeon Gaesomun hasn't gone that crazy yet.

He immediately mobilized troops stationed in Xincheng, Gaimucheng and other places to launch a counterattack on Xuantucheng.

In fact, this was also an opportunity for him. If he could swallow up all of Li Ji's troops before the main force of the Tang army arrived, the boost to morale would be unimaginable!

But such an opportunity is never that simple.
The entire Liaodong region was in chaos.

Li Ji not only defended Xuantu City, but at the same time, the Tang army's northern route army and the central army personally led by Li Shimin also continued to exert their strength.

Under these circumstances, Goguryeo had no way to retake Xuantu City and had to shrink its defenses.

This was an inevitable outcome.

The defenses of Goguryeo required absolute precision, as any mistake by one side would trigger a chain reaction. Furthermore, Yeon Gaesomun had also mobilized troops from the cities surrounding Hyontu Castle.

Unable to retake Xuantu City, they had no choice but to shrink their defensive lines.

Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to hand over all our troops to the Tang army!

The mountain stronghold was indeed difficult to breach, but the Tang army didn't need to attack it at all. They only needed to trap and starve the people to death, which would be enough to wear them down.

No matter how unwilling Yeon Gaesomun was, he could only choose to shrink the defense line and concentrate his forces to defend core cities such as Liaodong City and Baiyan City.

The gateway to Liaodong was wide open.

Under the threat of the main Tang army, everyone turned their attention to the north.

And at that very moment, the navy finally set sail!

Donglai.

"Woo-wu-wu-"

A deep and powerful bugle call suddenly tore through the morning mist—the command to set sail!

In an instant, the port seemed to awaken from its slumber.

On the shore, the soldiers and civilians who came to see them off held their breath, their eyes fixed on every rising sail and the soldiers on board.

Although they had been undergoing special training for over a month.

But now that they were about to set sail, the soldiers couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, which was still impossible to ignore.

Countless scholars were on the shore recording this scene that would surely be recorded in history.

They would either paint or compose poems and essays.

As gusts of sea breeze blew by, the sails billowed with air currents, and the fleet began to move.

Gu Jing also stood on the command ship, looking at the shore that was getting further and further away, silently wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

After a while, he went back into the boat and silently wiped his spear.

His eyes were incredibly sharp.

Gu Jing knew that without merit, it was impossible to gain the soldiers' trust in the military camp, so he remained silent throughout the discussion of tactics.

However, he made an even more important suggestion.

That is—kill!

He fully agreed that the barbarians feared power but did not cherish virtue, and that they had petty courtesy but no sense of righteousness.

Since we are landing alone, we must seize every opportunity to make a name for ourselves. We must not only quickly capture the city, but also make them tremble with fear!
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes! Please support me, brothers! I'm so grateful.)
(End of this chapter)